Eucharistic Congress exactly what Irish Church needs

The Irish bishops held their October general meeting this week, during which they discussed topics ranging from the imminent Apostolic Visitation to preparations for the International Eucharistic Congress in 2012. On 6 October last, Cardinal Seán Brady, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, Archbishop Dermot Clifford and Archbishop Michael Neary, travelled to Rome to meet with Apostolic Visitors and the Heads of the Congregation for Bishops and the Secretariat of State. The bishops have stated it is “the hope of all that the Apostolic Visitation will assist in purifying and healing the Church in Ireland and will help to restore the trust and hope of the faithful in our country”.

“The Eucharistic Congress couldn’t come at a better and more appropriate time for the Church in Ireland – Fr Kevin Doran, Secretary General of the Organising Committee for the 50^th International Eucharistic Congress, tells Emer McCarthy- “The lead up to June 2012 offers us the perfect opportunity to undertake a pilgrimage, on a personal and community level, of repentance and renewal in the Eucharist”. But after a decade in which the Church in Ireland has had to face up to the horror and shame of the sexual abuse of minors by clergy, how receptive are Irish Catholics and Irish people in general to the Congress? Listen: